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Friday, April 26, 2013

Guest Editorial Monkton Chronicles

Neighbor Jane Palmer wrote this great article outlining why the proposed pipeline should not be allowed in our town. We fight to live in a beautiful place. We do not want to be bisected by a High pressure Fracking gas line, sure to expand, sure to blow or leak or rupture, or explode. We do not want to have to bear the burden of first responders when it all blows up.

mary gerdt, monkton, vermont

Vermont Gas...Good parents?

By Jane Palmer, Monkton, Vermont

When my son was young...and him being my first
child, I took all sorts of parenting classes...I was terrified I would do
parenting wrong...so I gathered all the information and advice I could find. One
of the tips I remember being helpful when he was about two, was to offer him
simple choices and not expect him to make decisions he was too young to
comprehend. I learned not to say,”Are you ready for bed now?” or “It's time for
bed, OK?” but to rephrase it as, “Do you want to sleep with your bear or your
dinosaur tonight?” or “Do you want a story or a song before you go to sleep
tonight?” I gave him choices he was able as a two year old to make. This
technique worked for a while, until the precocious little bugger started to
catch on to my ploy and would tell me point blank he wasn't sleepy and going to
bed was not an option. (Well...another thing I taught him was to question
authority and I can tell you that came back to bite me in the ass more than once
while he was growing up)

So, here comes Vermont Gas...and they want to find
a way to deliver gas from Colchester to International Paper in Ticonderoga NY
and Addison County is in the way. (For reasons still not clear to us Vermonters,
going down the New York side is already off the table) Their first attempt to
site their pipeline through Hinesburg and Monkton was met with vehement
opposition from the townspeople. So, I guess they went and took the same
parenting class as I did because they basically came back to the towns and
said.. OK..which route would you prefer....down the road or on the VELCO
corridor?

And the townspeople responded like good little
children and made their choices, not even questioning the “other” option of
having no pipeline at all.

Our select board has been struggling with this
pipeline since the general public became aware of the situation. What seemed
like a pretty straight forward project that promised financial gain and economic
opportunities for the town, has now morphed into a battle between what is
morally the right thing to do and what will make the fewest waves in the
legislative system. More and more people are learning the truth about this so
called “cheap, clean energy” and many of the folks that felt “natural” gas was a
better choice than burning oil or coal and were queuing up to cross that fuel
“bridge” to a cleaner tomorrow, started to look ahead and they realized that
“natural” gas is a “bridge to nowhere.” It is more like a gang plank than a
bridge because when we get to the end of it, there will be no turning back.

The select board wants to strike the best deal
they can with Vermont Gas and do right for the people of the town. We need to
let the select board hear what we want. If you truly believe that siting a
foreign owned pipeline that will move Canadian “fracked” gas to a New York
corporation, through the yards of your neighbors, through farmlands and
sensitive wetlands, next to houses, wells and water supplies is OK as long as a
few households are afforded the opportunity to hook up and buy “natural” gas
that comes from questionable and environmentally unsound extraction methods, at
a price that is subject to change drastically before this transmission pipeline
is even installed, ...then you should speak up. On the flip side, if you think
this pipeline is NOT a good deal for Monkton, Addison County, the State of
Vermont ..the world...you should speak up too. The select board needs to hear
from us..

Nate and I have been very outspoken about this
pipeline. I am sure there are some of you that are getting tired of seeing my
rants. We, personally, are already profoundly impacted by this project. Early
on, I thought “natural” gas was a good thing too..but then I did the research.
All I am asking is that you do the research too Maybe you will come to another
conclusion than we did. Maybe you will come to the same conclusion, but either
way, I hope you will call or write to the select board and voice your feelings
on the matter. It's how the system is supposed to work. So even if you have
already written to the select board about this pipeline...let them hear from you
again. They're there to serve us, folks. Help them do their jobs. Question
authority. We are not two year olds. We know what our choices are.

mary gerdt's notes:
I am proud of Jane for writing this. My Mom and Dad wrote letters when they were peeved because this is the U.S. and they could do that. They taught me that.
Each of my parents' source of understanding of oppression came from their lives, their parents, grandparents, extended family, friends, communities of immigrants fleeing the old ways, wars, depression, hardship, pain. The worst is Injustice, unfairness, Breaking the Golden rule.
I write letters and try to help change things if I can, peacefully, rationally. Like posting this letter of Jane's. It just makes sense.
Mom even wrote a letter to the editor after Silent Spring came out and she read the book.
She wrote a letter to support the ban on DDT. The osprey came back. We see more all the time.

NASA's New Horizons: A Heart from Pluto

Lake Champlain

the challenges of freedom

My words were simply, "I cannot comprehend this." when told an excuse that my absentee ballot hadn't been mailed because.....I lost the rest. I filled out the absentee ballot form. Finally I wrote to the town front porch forum. Here it is:

School Revote

MARY GERDT

I did not receive an absentee ballot for the recent revote of the school vote. Apparently none were sent? Or did you receive one and mine was omitted? I prefer to vote at home. I signed the paper for absentee ballots. The Secretary of state said it is up to me to enforce the election rules. It is up to me to ask the town clerk to explain, go to court if need be. No, my body cannot take any more of that. My vote was not counted. If you like that policy, carry on. Just don't presume to know all the reasons I do not want to vote out in public. I thought that is what absentee ballots were all about.

update 5.19.15 follow up post to front porch forum

Several issues back I inquired if others in Monkton did not receive absentee ballots for the town school budget re-vote. I got no response. I do not interpret that as apathy or a conspiracy against me, although I am sorely tempted to take the easy way out. It is stuck in my craw, the assistant town clerk (why did we need an assistant?) said we talked it over and it was too late to send the absentee ballots out. Now I will reiterate I do not have the energy to fight this town over not being able to vote on a budget that affects the taxation on our property. I will submit to the reader that if you tolerate this, it is a slippery slope. Oh, and fair warning: when you fill out the form from the Secretary of State of Vermont for absentee voting for the year, and send it to the Town clerk or assistant, don't expect that you will receive the ballots as requested. Then when you don't, guess "they" decided there wasn't enough time. My vote was never counted.

What if you could help tell the history of 1960's #NYC #GreenwichVillage? You can, See Richard...

Monkton Chronicles

Monkton Chronicles,

November 2016

Thanksgiving Week

It's been 7 months since I have put out an article about this town. Pipeline Fighters, Political Sparring, Health and Fatigue have dominated my summer. Now Summer and Fall are behind us. The first snow a gentle morning. A new America is forming, baby boomers aging, parties losing, party winning. Not worth crying about, little snowflakes, we all melt away in the end. We scraped up what silver we had to pay the taxman. Narrowly paid, avoiding being pinched by zero tolerance tax collectors. shortly after that our 11 year old pellet stove died. It was a good run. Fred and son installed our new stove. toasty warm. hopefully you are warm wherever you are. best wishes, meg

April 2016

4.30.16

I have neglected my lonely Chronicles, Times are tough in this idyllic state of chaos. Vermont, of course, is what I mean. Vermont and Vermonters, genuine and those who "identify as Vermonters" can take credit for the steady as he goes, In full command, Silver Warrior, Bernie Sanders. I predicted he will win the nomination. I still believe that. Locally the steadily advancing Northern front of the Canadian free for all Gaz pipeline. They are carving their way to the Tree that they killed, in fact, many hardwoods. They chipped them, all. Come on down and look. I don't know what the answer is. Addie could only stay up in that tree so long. We warriors for the planet feel we have been here before. And hope we may stop the madness that supports fracking in #Alberta. Town of Monkton, Vermont has a website if you care to peruse the gas pipeline stuff. It all makes me sick.

Spring is being her usual stubborn self in the North Country. The Sunlight has been marvelous. Code word: Sunlight = Arctic air...brr.

May will start a little warmer and badly needed rain. That will wash the pollen down, and start the greening...A Spring delight here. Brown to Green. All for now. Have a Wonderful May. meg

March 2016

3.18.16

It's been awhile since I have posted in the land of sparse news.

There was a "Quintessential Town Meeting" in Monkton, Vermont that I have once again boycotted. That's part of the plan, you know, to steer the town business the way of the chosen few. I gave up, quit, starvation of my political desires. Forget it. I can't. It's hard to explain all this. You may think I am being whiny, intolerant. ignorant...

No, I am frustrated. How can one person one vote by transferred to the mass in the school auditorium? If you're still confused, that, too is part of the plan. No wonder I haven't written updates in the Chronicles.

Keep tuned...spring is on the way. meg

February 2016

2.10.2016

Still more or less an open winter with spotty snowfalls in the Champlain Valley. Some cold air on the way to take us below zero.

We are now on the shorter side of winter. The daylight hours changing subtly at first, then all at once you notice. The snow that is lacking reminds me of how reflective snow is. South of here, blizzards and hurricanes. Guess it's nice for us to have a break.

The election timeline is fascinating, for a few seconds. Then it falls into a monotony. The major media outlets rake in the dough...strange that donations go to elect people. Or that a woman (Carly Fiorina) was excluded from the New Hampshire debate because of polls that in New Hampshire, are grossly inaccurate. Women were not outraged at Carly's being stifled or Sarah Palin being called dumb. There should be so surprise when Hilary is squashed like in 2008.

Enough for now. Healing with Knight Salve #5, probiotics, sunshine.

January 2016

01.21.16

Every winter in Vermont is tough, just for different reasons. This year we were not hardened off, so to speak. All of the sudden it got cold, over and over. Eek. Finally got to this chore. The town as relates to me, We sent in forms for absentee ballots. Why do we have to do this every year? I am still experimenting with salves, and other healing regimens. Time is the factor we surely cannot control. Today, breaks of sunlight is warm in a south window.We fight the pipeline, the state brought a stacked deck to the public service board of Yes.

All for now.

December 2015

12.31.2015

Our unusually mild weather has turned to more typical cold, rain and snow.

The last day of 2015 finds me upright and breathing. Skin in the healing mode, aided by salves and soaps I have put together. Avoiding the mainstream products when I can.

We had a low keyed Christmas. Turning in early for New Year's. Hope everyone is safe tonight. Tomorrow is 2016.

That is an interesting number, isn't it? meg

12.7.2015

The Sun is lower in the sky, air is colder. We are enjoying the warmer December. There will be colder days ahead. Have been blogging, tweeting, and attempted to get my Samsung phone to coordinate with clouds, kindles, PC's and a rusty brain.

News came hard that a friend, my blogger mentor, Herrad Ford had passed away after an illness. Please say a prayer for her husband who is hurting right now. I am working on a tribute post. It will come to me when it is good and ready. Sleep helps with expression. Does that make sense? I am tired. Done for the day. Well, done except for watching Scorpion and NCIS-LA, 2 of my favorite shows right now.

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